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What to watch for today
The G7 summit wraps up. US president Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron will hold a joint press conference this afternoon, after the closing session. Rifts had emerged during the gathering, especially over Trump’s insistence that Russia be readmitted to the group while other countries argue that only liberal democracies belong.
A landmark ruling in the US opioid crisis. An Oklahoma judge is expected to rule on whether Johnson & Johnson will be held responsible for the state’s deadly opioid epidemic. A decision against the company could mean large payouts in similar cases across the US.
A reading on Germany’s business climate. Amid fears the EU’s largest economy is entering a recession, investors await results of the latest Ifo survey, which provides insight into what executives from a range of industries are thinking.
Over the weekend
Violent clashes broke out again in Hong Kong. Police officers drew guns and one fired a warning shot on Sunday, after some protesters used petrol bombs, which also prompted the first use of a water cannon in the city. That capped a turbulent weekend that saw a return to more confrontational tactics after 10 days of relative calm, including a 60-kilometer (37-mile) human chain on Friday.
Italy struggled to find a power-sharing deal. Weekend talks between the anti-establishment Five Star party and the main center-left Democratic Party failed to break the stalemate over who would lead a new coalition government. The parties have until tomorrow to form a solid alternative government, or face new elections.
South Korea irked Tokyo some more. Its forces began two days of expanded drills Sunday around the Dokdo (or Takeshima, in Japan) islands, which both nations claim. Days earlier it scrapped an intelligence-sharing agreement with its neighbor amid a deepening trade row.
The US and Japan drew closer to a trade deal. The two sides agreed to the core elements of an agreement, with the hope being that Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe will sign it next month in New York. Meanwhile, the White House sent conflicting signals on the trade war with China.
Australia will block websites with extremist content during terrorist attacks. The move comes after a gunman live-streamed his deadly rampage at two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand in March.
Brazil’s military began fighting the Amazon wildfires. After coming under global criticism for his response to the fires raging in the world’s largest rainforest, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro mobilized some 44,000 troops, and dispatched warplanes to dump water from above.
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Matters of debate
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Art institutions are getting too ideological. Museums do not need to promote social justice.
Being nice can hurt your career. Prioritizing it over honesty has serious downsides.
Human-led curation has a place amid algorithms. Even Netflix is now offering movie collections made by people.
Surprising discoveries
Hong Kong protestors are attacking “smart” lampposts. They suspect the high-tech structures are surveillance tools.
A pumice raft bigger than Manhattan is bobbing around the Pacific. The volcanic rock is so porous it floats.
Curdled milk can explain online hate. A researcher has found a way to use complex physics to analyze the spread of online extremism.
PlayStation’s first movie lost its director—for the fifth time. Maybe it’s a sign the action-adventure game Uncharted doesn’t belong on the big screen.
NASA is investigating what may be the first space crime. The long arm of the law reaches beyond Earth’s bounds.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, chunks of pumice, and felled lampposts to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Mary Hui and edited by Tripti Lahiri.